Akasha (human)
Akasha was the human embodiment of the Naga Akasha. Hatching In 1145 the golden pearl known as the Legacy of the Naga hatched in Shiro Shinjo, where it had been held after it was given to the Unicorn by the Naga in 1135. When the egg hatched, a ten year old human girl with green skin and gold-tinged eyes emerged and claimed that her name was Akasha. Legacy of the Naga, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4, by Edward Bolme She was human with something of the Naga's communal mind as well. Tales of the Emerald Championship (Imperial Herald v2#23), by Shawn Carman Training Akasha was sent to train with the clan's various families, and eventually settled with the Ide family at Shiro Ide, learning about the Rokugani social structure. Secrets of the Unicorn, p. 31 She used to wield a a crystal-encrusted naginata. The Last Ride, Part 2, by Rich Wulf Ghedai Ghedai was the sensei of Akasha. He taught her about the naga Magic Pearls and revealed to her the secret existence of the Unbroken. Ghedai used Akasha as a way to learn the secrets of the Golden Pearl, which if recreated could give its wielder tremendous power. Pearls of Wisdom, by Shawn Carman Death of Moto Gaheris With the help of Iuchi Lixue, Akasha found how to save the soul of Moto Gaheris in 1159 from the curse of the Lords of the Death, the Shi-Tien Yen-Wang gods, placed upon the Moto after his betrayal. The death of Gaheris opened a portal to Toshigoku, and Akasha with his crystal hold it open. Moto Chagatai and Moto Chen traveled to Toshigoku to promise the Unicorn would worship the cult of the dark Gods again. Chen Fell in Love In the months Moto Chen and Akasha had been enjoying one another's company, Chen had come to realize that Akasha was unlike any woman he had ever met. Chen had to depart to his station on Ryoko Owari before openly noticing her. Smoke and Mirrors, by Shawn Carman Shasyahkar In dreams Shasyahkar met Akasha and warned her about the dark intentions of Ghedai, and his lust for power. Akasha allowed Ghedai to teach her until she was prepared to face him. Shasyahkar secretly became her sensei and gave lessons about Pearl Magic. Shasyahkar revealed to Akasha the connections Ghedai had with the Kolat. Secrets of the Unicorn, p. 32 Ghedai had sold the secret of the Pearl Beds to the Kolat and paid them gold to retrieve certain pearls for him. Treachery's Coin, Part IV, by Shawn Carman Chen Dishonored Akasha aided Chen in his search of restoration. She gifted a Magic Pearl that was instrumental to track down kolat strongholds. At that time Chen and she were lovers. Treachery's Coin, Part I, by Shawn Carman Chen discovered a chest filled with pearls. Treachery's Coin, Part II, by Shawn Carman Chen in retrurn of Yoritomo Kumiko's support put the Mantis in contact with Akasha. They traveled to the Village of Broken Dreams, where the Unbroken lived. Kumiko was able to become a member of the ronin brotherhood, the way to cleanse her taint. Treachery's Coin, Part III, by Shawn Carman Ghedai's Death In 1159 Creatures of Rokugan: Third Edition, p. 21 after Akasha and Chen returned from the Unbroken, Ghedai suggested Chen become the new general of a naga army. The jakla could awake Asp warriors from their slumber. The naga warriors would follow the Unicorn if he passed a new ritual that would permit his soul to be in the Akasha, and Chen accepted. Ghedai knew the ritual would also make the Junghar his pawn. The ritual began, but something went wrong for the Naga Jakla. Instead the Unicorn was Shasyahkar who had shapeshifted into Chen with a Pearl of Chameleon Skin. With the ritual his soul reunited with the Akasha. They began a magic battle, but Ghedai's power was greater and killed him, only to die himself as well. The ritual had linked Ghedai and Shasyahkar's soul, and the death of the second came to kill the first. Akasha lost both sensei. Chen Restored to Honor The battle between the two great Naga awakened a small army of Asp warriors, which Chen and Akasha assumed command of. Chen was given the task of protecting the naga cities within the Shinomen Mori. Secrets of the Unicorn, p. 21 The Four Winds gathered In 1160 the Empress and Oracle of Void gathered the Four Winds to defeat Daigotsu and destroy the City of the Lost. Akasha contacted the Naga warriors in their slumber to trap and fight the Tsuno in the Realm of Dreams, withdrawing an important ally army of the Dark Lord in the defence of the City. Fight For Tomorrow, Part IX Rain of Blood In 1165 Akasha was living with Chen at Toshi Ranbo. When her lover went to a meeting inside a geisha house she waited outside on her Shinjo steed. Some time later Chen and his brother Chaozhu escaped the building and faced Lion and Imperial bushi commanded by Ikoma Tsai, who claimed they had to be caught as prisoners. At that moment a Rain of Blood covered the Imperial City, and the bushi began to fight between them. Akasha aided Chen to endure the Rain, and escaped. Blood Dawn, Part X: Hunter's End, by Shawn Carman and Rich Wulf Fighting the Ashalan In 1166 the Shogun Kaneka requested Akasha her aid with his race. He needed to find the supposedly dead Bayushi Atsuki, who was in fact the leader of the Second Gozoku. Atsuki had been allied with the Ashalan, the immortal race that was the ancestral enemy of the Naga. The Imperial Legions camped near the ruined naga city of Iyotisha to meet Orumash. The naga was a Jakla astronomer, who was left behind by his race to guard their sleeping city. Fires of Toshi Ranbo, Part Three, by Rich Wulf Orumash as every Naga was able to sense the Ashalan, and guided the Shogun's army toward a hideout in the Plains Above Evil. The Legions defeated the defenders and Kaneka killed Atsuki in personal combat. Fires of Toshi Ranbo, Part Four, by Rich Wulf Marriage The Unicorn quickly adopted Akasha into their ranks. This year she married Moto Chen and the two took up residence in the Naga city Vyakarana. Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, p. 302 They had a daughter, Naleesh, the same year. Souls of Steel, Part 1, by Shawn Carman Forest Killers In 1167 Akasha was pregnant when she worked alongside the Mantis Yoritomo Bunmei to defeat the bandits known as the Forest Killers. Bunmei was sailing in the River of Gold near Zakyo Toshi when the cargo of his kobune was theft by the bandits, who raced toward the Shinomen Forest. The leader of the Forest Killers was a former Unicorn, Ide Nomari, and Akasha aided Bunmei following the trucks and hunted her down with several of her gang. Jiyu After the defeat of Ide Nomari Akasha was granted the honor of wielding Jiyu, the blade crafted for the Unicorn by Tsi Xing Guo, the Fortune of Steel. Shono's Daughter Akasha saved Shono's daughter from being kidnapped at Shiro Shinjo. A Ninube had entered the chamber where the infant was sleeping but it did not find the child. Akasha somehow had sensed the danger and hid her. The Naga forced the Ninube fled after it was wounded by her crystal knife. The Ruins of Otosan Uchi, Part 1, by Shawn Carman Shono took up the pursuit and was able to stop it. This led Shono and Chen hunting down the Ninube at Otosan Uchi. Vacant Throne, p. 30 It was not known if Akasha was aware that the child could be the reincarnation of the Kami Shinjo. The Ruins of Otosan Uchi, Part 2, by Shawn Carman Revolutionaries In 1168 she was in the docks of Mura Sabishii Toshi where she met Bunmei once more. His kobune had a cargo of dried fish for the Unicorn troops. They saw in the distance a smoke column in the Ronin Plains and came to investigate. The villagers and farmers were under the attack from a force of revolutionaries. The samurai aided the locals in defeating them. When interrogated, their leader told they came from the nearby territory where the Fortune Bishamon had razed their farmlands. The Prophet of the Dark Lotus, Kokujin, had encouraged them to rise up against the samurai caste and they began to kill and destroy those who did not join them. Naga After the Nezumi began fighting with the Unicorn Clan, the decreased protection offered by the two allies of the Naga meant they required assistance elsewhere. Zamalash requested Akasha to ask the Unicorn for more guards, but she told they could not give more warriors, already committed in the Khan's Defiance. Akasha saw she was not enough to guard the Great Sleep and the Constrictor Qolsa awaken to oversee the security of the naga slumbering. Lost Protectors, by Rusty Priske The Khan had already instructed Akasha that she and the Naga must be on guard for any potential threats, when Shono had to remove the Junghar patrols. The Khan's Defiance, by Shawn Carman Test of the Emerald Championship - 1169 In 1169 Akasha was a Unicorn contender for the Emerald Championship. She was defeated by Bayushi Hisako. Iweko I Moto Jin-Sahn, who became the Shogun after the Celestial Tournament as an Empress' Chosen of Iweko I, arrived to Shiro Moto as a hero. He had been tasked with a mission in the Shinomen Mori, but he was not permitted to share its purpose even with his Lord, so Chen was disgusted. In return, once the Shogun duties within the forest were completed, any and all resources within the forest were to be overseen and adjudicated by the Unicorn. A New Empire, Part II, by Rusty Priske, Brian Yoon, and Shawn Carman Shinomen Burns Akasha was warned by the Akasha the Shinomen was burning, being the city of Vyakarana in danger. She and Chen hurried to help, but the forest was saved by a magical rain summoned by the Phoenix Clan, awared by Shiba Ningen of the fire. Glory of the Empire, Part II, by Rusty Priske and Nancy Sauer Plague In 1171 several Unicorn villages had been struck with plague, and despite the combined efforts of the best Unicorn shugenja no answer had been found. In the Crab lands, a desperate message from the Crab Clan Champion Hida Kuon asked Unicorn aid to defend the Kaiu Wall, which was menaced to became overrun. The Path of the Destroyer, Part 2, by Shawn Carman End of the Destroyer War During two years the Destroyer War ravaged the Empire. In 1173 Daigotsu, Shahai, Susumu, Fu Leng, and Kali-Ma had died. The drawback was that Daigotsu had returned in a phantom form, as the Master of Jigoku. The Empress proclaimed the end of the war with the victory of the Empire. The Spider Clan had been conferred the status of Great Clan. Those free of taint could remain in the Empire, and the tainted were put under guard of the Dragon Clan, to extend the Empire in the Ivory Kingdoms as the Iweko's Conquerors alongside with the Mantis Clan. Goddesses, Part 4, by Shawn Carman Chen is concerned The Spider Clan had served Daigotsu, and Jigoku. Chen regreted the Unicorn had presented them to the Empire, as if they were nothing more than new allies to embrace. He believed the Unicorn role in the Empire would be diminished, and other Clans would use it aginst them in the courts. Chen decided to ensure the Spider would follow the orders of the Empress and did not lose their way before they reach the Kingdoms. Aftermath, Part 3, by Rusty Priske Naleesh, Shinjo's reincarnation After the end of the war it was known that the reincarnation of the Kami Shinjo was Akasha's daughter, Naleesh. Scenes from the Empire 19, by Robert Denton, Yoon Ha Lee, with Special Guest Author Robert Hobart Chen steps down When Chen felt his age was overwhelming him, he decided to step down. He passed on the Khan and Unicorn Champion titles and, alongside his wife, retired to his personal estate. Naleesh then became the Unicorn Champion and Min-Hee the Khan. Rulebook story (Forgotten Legacy), by Shawn Carman and Rusty Priske Akasha and Chen disappear In 1198 Akasha and Chen disappeared Second City - The People, p. 76 from the estate where they lived and no trace was found. Her daughter began an investigation to find tracks of them. More incidents had happened as the disappearance of the half-naga Mirumoto Mareshi, father of her daughter's betrothed, the Dragon Clan Champion Mirumoto Shikei, or the destruction of the Naga Embassy. It seemed the rise of the Dark Naga had provoked all these events. The unknown brother The Golden Pearl and the Black Pearl were two facets of the Akasha; all that was pure, and all that was impure. Akasha had hatched from the Golden one and embraced the human race. From the Black Pearl was hatched the Dark Naga in 1170, and his desire was to the eradication of all life that was not Naga. See also * Akasha/Meta External Links * Akasha (Promotional) * Akasha Exp (Promotional) * Akasha Exp2 (Emerald and Jade Championship) Category:Naga Category:Unicorn Clan Members